After Adagio finished what Silvercoat told her was a "salad", she decided to try one of these taco things that Sonata seemed to love so much only to discover that she had moved them all to her plate and when she attempted to reach for one she was greeted with an angry hiss that melted back to a look of pure joy as soon as she retracted her hoof and left her to her treasures.
Before she could think about what else to eat Silvercoat spoke up saying, "Well then, now that we have all been properly fed perhaps we should engage in a little dinner chit chat. If that is OK with you all that is?"
Sonata continued wolfing down the tacos thus leaving only Aria, who seemed satisfied after finishing what Silvercoat had called a cake, and Adagio to hear him.
Aria was the first to reply saying, "Yeah that sounds good. I kind of have something I've been wondering."
"Oh of course my dear, ask away," said Silvercoat before he smiled and said, "I'm excited to hear something from you besides talk of food."
Aria had somewhat of a nervous smile as she said, "Then it looks like you're going to have to wait a little longer because I was going to ask how it was that this cake thing filled me up so quickly when I felt like I could eat everything on the table.... and the table just a few minutes ago."
"Oh," said Silvercoat somewhat disappointed.
"You don't have to answer-" Aria began before Silvercoat raised his hoof to her.
"Now now don't worry of course I'll answer after all I went into quite the explanation about Sonata's dish didn't I. Actually your cake has quite the interesting story behind it as well, I actually learned the recipe from Queen Corona herself last time I visited Canterlot. Apparently her eldest daughter has quite the appetite for sweets so she came up with this special blend of sugars and fruit that not only satisfies her easily but is actually relatively healthy so that she will not have any negative side effects from scarfing it down in one sitting like you just did my lady," said Silvercoat as a playful smile came to his face at the last part of his comment.
A blush formed on Aria's face as she said, "That's quite interesting um... good sir."
Adagio smirked at this before deciding to get the idea Sonata had planted in her head cleared up by saying, "If I might ask you something Silvercoat, while your words are very respectful I am a little curios as to why you use such a tone that is so unlike the other ponies we have heard speak thus far."
"Oh that. Well as I said before I am rather close with the royal family and have, in my numerous visits to them in which I report my findings of all the lands I visit, picked up a formal dialect, just be glad I didn't pick up King Apogee's booming royal voice," he said with yet another playful grin on his face.
"Ah I see that makes sense," said Adagio as she gaze Aria a glance that silently said, "See you where right all along," and Aria's blush began to fade away as she resumed her normal cool and confident look.
"Indeed. Anyway since you both asked me questions and it seems like Sonata is well in dispose right now I believe it is my turn to ask you something. Now don't take this the wrong way but what exactly are you three and where do you come from?" said Silvercoat.
The girls looked a little taken aback by this before Adagio spoke up saying, "Well while that is a perfectly reasonable question Silvercoat... I'm afraid we simply do not have an answer for it."
Silvercoat looked confused at this as he asked, "What do you mean?"
Aria spoke up saying flatly, "The fact of the matter is we have never seen another member of our kind before that we remember. We don't remember anything about where any of us were born, any of our parents, or parent since we don't even know for sure if our species has males, or even how we met each other. The earliest memories any of us have are of each other hunting and living together."
Silvercoat looked shocked as he took all of that in for a few moments before saying, "My word... I can't even imagine what it would have been like to grow up so alone."
At this Sonata let a belch out as each of them looked towards her and saw that she had finished all the tacos before her before she smiled and said, "Well I wouldn't say we grew up alone since like Aria said we have always had each other."
Warm smiles formed on Aria and Adagio's faces at hearing such an innocent and kind statement as they both nodded in agreement before Adagio spoke up saying, "She's right. We have stuck by each other no matter what and as long as I have anything to say about it, we always will be together."
Silvercoat was taken aback by this before a smile came to his face as he said, "My my, that is quite the heartfelt statement and such an excellent outlook on life. Well then it appears as though all of you have finished your food so if you would like I can show you to your bed chambers now."
"Awesome," said Sonata as she was in the mood for a nap after all she had eaten. She got up before looking to the others saying, "Come on girls."
"Umm it's still kind of early I'm not sure if I can get to sleep," said Aria a little stunned at the sudden change of topic and potential change of venue.
Silvercoat was quick to remedy this as he defensively raised one of his hooves and said, "Oh but of course you don't have to actually go to sleep now. I just figured it would be good to show you to them now so that when each of you are ready you can go to them whenever you like."
"Oh that makes sense," said Aria as she got up, soon followed by Adagio who also found the sudden change odd but decided not to question it.
They all followed Silvercoat as he led the way down another hall which seemed much more sparsely decorated then the ones they saw earlier.
"How come there aren't as many neat pots and stuff down this way?" asked Sonata.
Silvercoat didn't even turn around as he continued walking and he said, "Oh I just don't like to put to many of my valuables in the guest section, you know how it is somepony walking to the bathroom late at night get's a little turned around and knocks something over."
"Oh I gotcha. You know one time me and Aria-" began Sonata before Silvercoat stopped for a moment before speaking.
He said, "That does sound like quite the lovely story and I do look forward to hearing it, however we are almost to the bed chambers and while Aria might not wish to retire yet I have had quite the long day and wish to do so as soon as I drop you off."
"Oh OK," said Sonata as she was disappointed that she didn't get to finish her story but soon perked up as she saw the hall end with a wooden door that must lead to where they were going to be sleeping.
Silvercoat then opened his door with his magic as he moved to the side and bowed saying, "Right this way my fair ladies."
The three then went through the door and down a small flight of stairs, upon which they noticed something was wrong. Firstly this "bed chambers" did not have a bed or furniture of any kind, secondly it was odd in general that they had to go down stairs to reach it when they had already been on the ground floor, finally and most prevalently the room was in absolute disrepair as several cracks and small wholes lined it's walls. Just as the they turned up the stairs to ask Silvercoat about this they saw the door slam shut and then glow with Silvercoat's magic before it turned into stone and completely blended into the wall.
Sonata flew up the stairs and started knocking where the door used to be and said, "Umm Silvercoat I think something is wrong with this room?"
For a few moments none of them heard a response but soon they heard a voice from above say, "Why off course there is something wrong... there are disgusting monsters in that room."
They all looked up to see Silvercoat's face was now being projected on a large crystal near to top of the rooms nearest wall, before Sonata came back down saying, "Monsters? But... Silvercoat I thought you said-"
But Sonata was interrupted as he once again spoke up saying, "Firstly now that the charade is over I request that you call me by my proper title of Lord Neighsay as it is the only way you creatures should refer to ponies."
"Wait Lord Neighsay?" said Aria as she was struggling to take in this sudden change in their "friends" personality.
"Correct, as in Lord of the village I met you three outside of," said Neighsay as a prideful look overtook his face.
"But what about all that talk about how deplorably the villagers actions where?" asked Adagio as she was now mentally kicking herself for letting go of her doubt over all this.
"Why their actions where deplorable. I mean throwing rocks and hurling insults at such deadly creatures, they are just lucky you were all smart enough not to attack any of them in broad daylight. Moreover they had no idea if you were just simply scouts and were leaving to get the rest of your group for an invasion. That is why I took the steps to learn all of this from you before imprisoning you down here," said Neighsay.
"Why you, WROTTEN JERK!" shouted Aria as she charged at the crystal with all her might only to be knocked back down instantly.
"Sorry ladies but I'm afraid there is no way out. You see this cavern was not actually built into my castle but discovered by the crew I hired to build it and the walls are made of some sort of odd stone none of us had seen before that seems to be resistant to both magic and physical force. Dare I say that not even the Great Starswirl could get out of such a place," said Neighsay with a pleased look on his face.
Sonata's eyes started to water at hearing all of this as she said, "But I thought you said we weren't monsters and that you were our friend."
Neighsay then had a look of disgust come to his face as he said, "And I hated every second of that I had to endure. But it is worth it to rid this land of you creatures so that it can make it a safer place, and one day my son shall do the same and his son and his and son until this land is free of all you monsters. Now if you don't mind I feel as though I have wasted enough time on you so good day to you all." At that his image disappeared and the crystal went blank.
A few seconds passed but to Adagio those seconds felt like an eternity as she saw the sweet and innocent Sonata curl on the floor crying and defeated while the cool but nice deep down Aria had a face filled with rage and eyes filled with sadness as she once again tried to attack the crystal Neighsay had spoken from to no avail. At seeing both of them suffer Adagio was filled with an anger beyond anything she ever felt as she said aloud, since she didn't care who heard her at this point, "Those stupid ponies! It's not bad enough that they take everything away from us and call us monsters but now they pretend to be nice to us for the soul purpose of imprisoning us! I swear girls if we ever get out here we will take them all down!"
At this Aria instantly nodded and Sonata sobbed for a few seconds more before nodding herself and soon after all that they heard a dark enigmatic voice laugh before it said, "Now now girls, why take them down when you can make them bow before you?"
They all turned in the direction the voice came from as they soon saw the farther most wall morph a large door in the middle of it which they reluctantly went through.
On the other they found a room that seemed to be much better maintained with several pillars along the side, a well in the center, and at the very back a mural depicting what appeared to be a dark and twisted pony with both wings and a horn ready to attack. Adagio wasn't really focused on the decor though as she said, "Alright whoever you are... as you can imagine I'm not in a very trusting mood so if you really can help us get back at those fools I suggest you show yourself now or else I'm just going to ignore your pleas."
"My my such a feisty one... very well then," said the voice before a pillar of what appeared to be pure darkness shot out of the well on the floor. Before any of them could comment on this a face formed on the front of the pillar or at least something close to a face as it's eyes and mouth where pure white. "Welcome to the Well of Shade and while I have had many names over the years you may simply call me The Darkness and trust me you do not want to ignore what I have to say."